Paper holding and feeding mechanism for accounting machines



MACHINES May 6, 1941. w. A. ANDERSON 3Sheets-Sheet 1 PAPER HOLDING AND FEEDING MECHANISM FOR ACCOUNTING Filed Dec.

I INV ENTOR WALTER A. ANDERSUN BY V ATTORNEY May 6, 1941- W.IA. ANDERSON PAPER HOLDING AND FEEDING MECHANISM FOR ACCOUNTING MACHINES .5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Dec. 29, 1939 INVENTOR WALTER A. ANDERSON ATTORNEY y 6, 1 1- w. A. ANDERSON 2,241,173

PAPER HOLDING AND FEEDING MECHANISM FOR ACCOUNTING MACHINES Filed Dec. 29, 1939 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 ooh 3 @38 w INVENTOR WALTER A. ANDERSON ATTORNEY Patented May 6, 1941 UNITED STATES PAPER HOLDING AND FEEDING MECHANISM FOR. ACCOUNTING MACHINES Walter A. Anderson, Bridgeport, Conn., asslgnor to Underwood Elliott Fisher Company, New York, N. Y., a corporation of Delaware Application December 29, 1939, Serial No. 311,575

Claims.

This invention relates to accounting machines, 1 and more particularly to a front feed paper supporting and feeding apparatus therefor.

It is customary in utility company accounting to render the monthly bills with detachable stubs, and upon the consumer making payment, to insert the stub in the accounting machine, post the amount of the payment thereon, and return the stub to the customer as a receipt. In instances where the consumer pays the entire amount represented by the bill, this is indicated by a printing of .00 in the Balance column, but in instances where a company such as, for example, a telephone company, itemizes its charges, as for example, for toll service, local service, advertising, etc., the consumer may pay one or more of these charges and leave the others unpaid. In this event the total amount due is posted, as a debit, in one column of the stub,

the individual charges which the consumer pays are posted on separate lines, as credits, in another column, and the total of the unpaid charges is. printed in a third column. The stubs upon which these amounts are posted are usually pre-printed with a definite line at the 'bottom thereof for the printing of the balance due.

It is accordingly an object of the present invention to provide a paper supporting andfeedr ing apparatus that permits easy insertion and location of a stub form in position for the printing of the first debit posting and which automatically advances the stub from line to line as the credits are posted.

Another object of the invention is'to automatically advance the stub from the last credit posting line, directly to the line for receiving the printing of the balance due, irrespective of the number of lines of credit postings previously printed.

with these'and incidental objects in view, the

invention consists in certain novel. features of construction and combinations of parts, thees sential elements of which are set forth in appended claims, and a preferred embodiment of which is hereinafter described with reference to X the drawings which accompany and form part of the specification.

In the drawings:

Figure l is a perspective view of a paper carriage equipped with the invention,

,Figure 21s a right side elevation thereof,

Figure 3 is a top plan view of certain elements of the invention. and illustrating, dia

control elements during the posting operations, and

Figure 4 is-a detail perspective view of a cam member that controls the restoration of certain of the control elements during carriage return.

The description is divided into the following topics: r

1. The carriage generally.

2. Paper supporting mechanism.

3. Line spacing mechanism.

4. Multiple line space advancement of forms by carriage control.

5. Restoring mechanism.

6. Operation.

1. The carriage generally The carriage is of the type disclosed in the United States application of Oscar J. Sundstrand, Serial No. 581,800, now Patent No. 2,194,270, issued March 19, 1940, and is mounted upon an accounting machine (not shown) of the general character disclosed in that application.

Referring to Figure 1, the carriage is movable laterally of the machine on a track l,'there being suitable means provided to drive it from rightto left on what is known as a working stroke, and to automatically return it from its extreme left hand position to its extreme right hand position on what is known as a. return stroke. During the working stroke the carriage is tabulated from column to column by suitabl control magazines cooperating with tabulating stops, in the manner disclosed inthe aforementioned application.

The carriage includes spaced parallel side walls 2 and 8 between which are mounted separate platens l and 5 upon a shaft 8. Platens 4 and l are arranged for independent rotation by means that may be similar to those disclosed in United States Patent No. 2,084,519. The details 'of construction of the platen shafts and the manner in which the platens are secured thereto may be similar to theconstruction disclosed in.

United States Patent No. 1,708,284 or No. 1,880,220. r

In the present embodiment of the invention. platen 4 is used for supporting and feeding a rear fed ledger or record sheet upon which are printed summarytotals of amounts printed upon the individual stub forms that are fed upwardly in front of platen 5 in a manner to be explained, and with which we are primarily concerned.

2. Paper supporting mechanism The mechanism for receiving and supporting grammatically, the positions of certain of the the stub forms comprises a chute' I located directly in front of and above platen 5. The back of the chute is secured as at 6 to a bail ll pivoted at its opposite ends on a transversely extending rod I2 that is pivoted in depending arms l3 of a cradle |4. Cradle I4 is pivoted on a rod |5 extending between the right carriage side wall 3 and a bracket I6 fixed on a square rod |1 secured between carriage side walls 2 and 3. Springs l3, connected between cradle l4 and rearwardly extending arms 2| formed on bail tension the ball and chute 1 counter-clockwise about rod l2 and hold the rear'leg of a U-shaped member 22, that is secured to chute 1, against platen 5. The member 22 defines the bottom of chute 1 and provides a stop for the bottom edge of the stub forms that are inserted in the chute. An upstanding projection 23 formed on the right ,side of cradle l4 carries a laterally extending rod 24, on the outer end of which is pivoted a link 25. The opposite end of link 25 is pivoted at 26 to a lever 21 pivoted at 23 on side wall 3 for a purpose to be later described.

A spring 3|, connected between the upper end of link 26 and side wall 3, normally tensions cradle l4, bail H and chute 1 as a unit clockwise about rod l5, but this unit is normally held. against such-clockwise movement by a dependi rack 32 pivoted at 33 to the right end of rod l2 and having teeth thereon engaging the teeth of a ratchet wheel 34 fixed on platen shaft 6. A

. spring 35, connected between the lower end of rack 32 and the carriage side wall 3, tensions the rack into engagement with the ratchet. A guide 33 embraces the lower end of the rack to limit movement of the rack toward the ratchet from the tension of spring'35, and to prevent side play of the rack. A roller detent 31, pivoted at 33 and held in engagement with ratchet wheel 34 by a strong springlll, holds the chute and cradle unit in the position shown in Figure 1 against the tension of spring 3|, until a line space operation is performed, as about to be described.

3. Line space. mechanism shown in Figure 4, and then clockwise back to normal position, during each cycle of the machine. A roller 44 on the upper arm of bell crank 4| receives a corresponding'movement'.

A cradle having rods 45 and 46 extending across the entire length of the carriage, and connected at their opposite ends by end plates such as 41, is pivoted in. the carriage frame on rod 46, and is tensioned clockwise, as viewed in Figure 2, by a spring 43 fastened to the forward end of plate 41. Clockwise movement of the cradle is limited by roller 44. A line spacing finger 5| is pivoted at 52 to plate, 41, and

has its forward end tensioned upwardly by a spring 53 attached between the rear end of the finger and a 1ever.54, also pivoted on plate 41, at 55. For the purpose of the present disclosure, lever 54 may be considered only as an -a pin 51 fixed in carriage side wall 3.

- roller 14.

anchor for spring 53. Plate 41 has a flange 56 overlying the finger 5| to limit the amount of movement of thefinger about pivot 52 under the tension of spring 53.

By the above described parts, the initial clockwise oscillation of bell crank 4| moves roller 44 to the right, allowing spring 48 to rock the cradle clockwise and move the forward pointed end of finger 5| upwardly and rearwardly. During this movement, finger 5| first engages ratchet 34,-and then moves rearwardly under-and behind the next tooth. At this time, the upper edge of the finger reaches This permits continued rearward movement of finger 6| to move its forward end downwardly out of engagement with the ratchet. During the return movement of bell crank 4|, the counterclockwise movement of cradle 41 moves finger 5| forwardly, permitting finger 5| to engage ratchet 34 and rotate it one tooth space. This advances the platen one line space. Coincident with this line spacing of the platen, rack 32 and chute 1 are raised one line space under the assistance of spring 3|.

4. Multiple line .space advancement of forms by carriage control Mechanism under the control of the traveling carriage is provided to disengage rack 32 from ratchet wheel 34 and thus permit the cradle l4, together with the chute 1, to swing upwardly under the tension of spring 3| until a shoulder 53 formed on the lower end of rack 32 strikes a pin 6| fixed in side wall 3, arresting the chute in the position shown. in Figure 2. This amount of movement is sufficient to bring the Balance .due" line of the stub form into printing position.

The mechanism for disengaging the rack from the ratchetwheel includes a slide 62 (Figures l and 2) slidably mounted at its forward end upon a stud 63 fixed on carriage side wall 3. The rear end of the slide has a slot 64 through which passes a screw 65 that is secured in a depending arm 66 pivoted at 61 on side wall 3. An'arm 68, corresponding to the arm 66, is similarly pivoted at 1| on the opposite carriage side wall 2, and spaced parallel rods 12 areconnected at their opposite ends to the arms to complete a swinging frame structure generally indicated at 10. A spring 13, connected between slide 62 and side wall 3, normally holds the slide in its rear position where the left end of a slot in the forward end of the slide abutsstud 63, as shown in Figure l. A roller 14, rotatably mounted on the lower one of a pair of clamping plates 15 that embrace rods 12, is adjustable along the rods by virtue of a thumb screw 16 that passes through the upper plate and threads'into the lower plate.

A cam member 11 (Figures 2 and 3), mounted on a bracket 18 that is in turn mounted on the accounting machine frame, lies in the path of When roller 14 engages cam member 11, as the carriage travels from right to left on its working stroke, frame 10 swings clockwise about pivots 61 and 1|, causing screw 65 to take up the lost motion in slot 64 and'thrust slide 62 forwardly. This causes the forward end of the slide to strike rack 32 and swing it forwardly, against the tension of spring 35, out ofengagement with ratchet wheel 34. A flange 8| on the forward end of guide 36 limits the amount of swinging movement that may be imparted to rack 32;

Immediately upon the release of the rack from ratchet 34, spring 3| swings cradle l4 clockwise about rod I5'and raises chute I and rack I2'upwardly until shoulder 58 reachespin 6|. Springs l8 serve to hold the chute against the platen during this movement. Upon roller "H moving beyond cam 11, spring 18 restores slide 82 to normal position, and during this movement the frame 10 and roller 14 are restored by spring 18 and by gravity, and rack 32 is reengaged with wheel 34 by spring 35.

The mounting of bracket 18 and details of the mounting of roller I4 upon rods I2 are disclosed in the United States application of Walter A. Anderson, Serial No. 150,367. 1

5. Restoring mechanism Mechanism operable during the return stroke of the carriage restores chute 1 to the normal position shown in Figure 1. This mechanism includes a roller 82, rotatably mounted on the lower end of lever 21 and arranged to cooperate with a cam member indicated generally at 88 (Figures 2, 3 and 4) and secured on track I Cam member 83 carries a pair of plates 88 and 85 that define a cam track between them. Plate 84 has a tapered cam edge 88 terminating in a straight edge 81, and has an inclined surface 88 extending from the juncture of the tapered and straight edges to the right extremity of the plate. When cradle i4 swings clockwise about rod l8, following the disengagement of rack 82 from wheel 84, link moves lever 21 to the rear, bringing roller 82 into alignment with the inclined surface 88 of plate 84. Hence, duringv the working stroke of the carriage, the roller rides up and over the plate, a slot Si in the upper end of lever 21 per; mitting this rising movement. As soon as the carriage has traveled leftwardly on its working stroke a distance suflicient to bring roller 82 beyond the left extremity of plat llrlever 21 and roller 82 drop, placing the roller in the horizontal plane of cam edge 88 of plate 84.

b. The operator, anticipating the posting of another 5.00" credit, cycles the machine to print the first "5.00 credit, bydepressing the customary non-tab key. This causes platen 5 and chute I to advance one line space, and also causes roller 82 to be moved rearwardly to the position indicated by b. The next 5.00 credit is then indexed and printed in the same manner, platen J and chute 1 being again advanced one line Upon return movement of the carriage, from left to right, roller 82 engages edge 88 and cams lever 21 clockwise about pivot 28 (Figure 2) to thrust link 25 forward against the tension of spring 3|. Forward movement of link 28 rocks cradle ll counter-clockwise about rod II, lowering chute I, together-with rack 82, from the position shown in Figure 2 to the position shown in Figure 1.

under the tension of spring 85, leaving the in readiness for the next operation.

6. Operation Referring to Figure 3, and assuming that a stub form, such as 82, has been inserted in the chute chute The teeth of the rack, during this movement, ratchet over the teeth of wheel 88 1, andthat the cariage is in the columnar position wherein the debit amounts are printed upon the riage tabulates in the usual manner to the next column I) wherein a credit amount of 5.00 is indexed on the keyboard. Rollers I8 and 82 now occupy the positions indicated by the letter Upon the, completion of the blank cycle, the

carriage automatically tabulates to the New balance or d columnar position. During this travel the roller 82 is raised'by the inclined surface 88 I of cam plate 84. The "Balance due? now printed at the bottom of the, stub. Upon the completion of this operatiomthecarriage is tabulated farther to the left on its working stroke until rollers 18 and 82 occupy the positions indicated at e, where the carriage return mechanism 'becomeseffective to return the carriage to the starting position indicated at a;

. During the return movement, roller 82 is engaged by cam edge 88 to restore chute I to the starting position shown in Figure 1, and roller II' is permitted to ride idly past the rear of cam 11 by virtue of the slot 84 in slide 82. During the return movement, the completed stub may be removed and a new one inserted for the next posting operation. The- "Balance Due line of the stub form will always be brought into printing alignment during the blank cycle in the c column, irrespective of the number of credits printed in the b column, since during the carriage tabulation from the b to the 0 column, roller II is thrust forward by cam ll, releasing chute 1 for the relatively long feed movement under the tension of spring 3|.

While the form of mechanism herein shown and described is admirably adapted to fulfill the objects primarily stated, it is to be understood that it is not intended to confine the invention to the one form of embodiment herein disclosed, for it is susceptible of embodiment in various forms all coming within the scope of the claims which follow.

What is claimed is:

1. In a machine of the class described, a traveling carriage having a platen, a work sheet support mounted above the platen, means to raise the work sheet support single line space distancea'means to move the carriage laterally, and means, controlled by the lateral movement of .the carriage, to thereafter raise the work sheet support a multiple line space distance.

2. In a machine of the class described, a trav eling carriage having a platen, a work sheet support mounted above the platen, means to impart single line space movements to the work sheet support, means to move the carriage laterally, means, controlled by the lateral movement of the carriage, to thereafter impart a multiple line space movement to the work sheet support,

and an additional means, controlled by movementof the carriage, to restore the work sheet support to its original position.

3. In a machine or the class described, a traveling carriage having a platen, a work sheet support mounted above the platen, means to impart single line space movements to the work sheet support, means to move the carriage laterally, means to impart a multiple line space movement to the work sheet support, and means, operated when the carriage moves through a predetermined position, to release the multiple line spacing means for operation.

4. In a machine of the class described, a traveling carriage having'a platen, a front feed work support','.machine operated. means for adiusti'nz the position or the work support distances sumcient for single space line feeding, and machine operated means for thereafter adJusting the position of the work support a distance sumcle'nt for a multiple space line feeding.

' 5. In a machine of the class described, a traveling carriage having a platen. a. work sheet support, means to move the work sheet support lineal distances corresponding to single line spaces, means to move thecarriage through its travel, and means controlleclby the carriage to thereafter move the work sheet support to a predetermined position.

6. In a machine of the class described, a traveling carriage having a platen, a front feed work support, machine operated means for raising the work support single line space distances, means to move the carriage through its travel, and means controlled by the carriage to therecarriage through its travel, carriage controlled means to thereafter raise the work support to a predetermined position, and additional carriage controlled means to return the work support to its original position.

9 Ina machine oi the class described havin movements to the chute coincident with the step by step rotation of the platen, means to move after raisethe Work support a multiple line space distance.

'I. In a machine or the class described, a travel-lng carriage having a platen, a front reed work support, means for raising the work support single line space distances, means to move the carriage through its travel, and carriage controlled means to thereafter raise the work support to a predetermined position.

8. In a machine of the class described, a traveling carriage having a platen, a front feed work support, means for raising the work support single line space distances, means to move the the carriage through its travel, and means controlled by movement oi the carriage to free the holding means irom the line space mechanism to enable the multiple line space moving means to impart a multiple line space movement to the chute.

. 10. In a machine of the 'classdescribed having a traveling carriage carrying a. platen, the combination ofa, chute on the carriage for supporting work sheets from in front or the platen. mechanism for rotating the platen. step by step for line spacing, -means normally tending to move the chute a multiple line space distance, means connected to the chute and to the line space mechanism to normally hold the chute against the multiple line space movement, said connecting means being operablaI-by the line space mechanism to impart single line space movements to the chute coincident with the step by step rotation of the platen, means to move the carriage through its travel, means controlled by' movement or the carriage to free the holding means from the line space mechanism to enable a the multiple line space moving means to impart a multiple line space movement to the chute, and additional means controlled by'moveme'nt oi the carriage to restore the chute to normal position.

WALTER A. ANDERSON. 

